506 Bones
by Bryn Elizabeth
Summary: A Lily Booth AU (an AU of an AU! so I would check out Dear Journal/Sweets and The Diary of Someone's Daughter if you're unfamiliar). Lily and Aubrey's season 12 pregnancy scare wasn't just a scare-how do these two handle all of the insane things the final season throws at them AND a coming baby?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, friends! It's been a minute. After I wrote the chapter of The Diary of Someone's Daughter where Lily and Aubrey have a pregnancy scare, there was the episode where Aubrey's dad comes back—and I thought, what if Aubrey was going to be a dad when that was happening? How would that affect him? And so, when I started thinking about how I wanted to start 2019 off with a story, I figured—why not revisit this idea? What if, in Season 12, Lily is pregnant? How does that change the rest of the season? So, here we are—an AU of an AU. **

**Many of these chapters will have a lot of similarities to the originals—I'm counting on the fact that you probably haven't read them in over a year.**

**P.S. I promise that one day I will actually write the epilogue to the real Lily Booth story. **

**And one more thing—man, I miss this show.**

* * *

"Hey, Booth," Aubrey greeted, before he noticed that the man was heading toward him with raw fury written on his face. "What's wrong?"

Suddenly, Aubrey found himself pinned against the wall, Booth pushing his arm into Aubrey's collarbone.

"You got my daughter _pregnant_?" Booth asked.

"_What_?"

"She has dreams, you know. She's getting her PhD. I can't _believe_ you, of all people, would ruin that for her."

"Lily's pregnant?" Aubrey asked quietly.

Booth dropped his arm, looking at Aubrey's stricken face with a sigh. "She didn't tell you."

"No. I—where is she?"

"She was at the lab. That's where she was talking to Bones about it, anyway."

* * *

"Where is she?" Aubrey demanded of the gathering of scientists on the forensic platform.

"She's in my office," Brennan told him, her jaw tight. "Did Booth talk to you?"

"Yes," he said, through gritted teeth. "And I. Didn't. Know."

"Oh." Brennan's face softened slightly. "Be nice to her," she warned.

"Nice?" he asked incredulously. "I—"

He looked at the others' confused faces. At least not _everyone _knew before him. He shook his head, storming into Brennan's office.

"When were you going to tell me?" he asked without greeting, closing the door behind him with more force than was necessary.

"James!" Lily jumped in her chair as he startled her out of her thoughts.

"When?" he demanded.

"Today!" she insisted. "I promise, today. I was just—"

"Just _what_?" He sighed, rubbing a hand across his jaw. "Your dad shoved me up against a wall, which is not the way I wanted to find out that I'm going to be a dad, thank you very much."

"He did _what_?"

"In front of everyone at the FBI," he explained, but the anger boiling in his stomach had started to give way to something else as soon as he spoke the words _I'm going to be a dad._

"I can't—I can't believe he did that. I was asking my mom some questions, she must have told my dad, and he thought…"

"So you're pregnant?" he half-whispered, moving next to the chair she was sitting in. "We're having a baby?"

"I don't _know_, James. I was asking my mom some questions because, well, I think that maybe, I could be? But I don't know."

"You're on birth control, though," he said.

She nodded. "I know. But it's," she dropped her gaze, lowering her voice to a guilty whisper. "I don't know. I must have messed up somehow."

"Oh."

"I was waiting for you," she explained. "I was waiting for—for you to get off work, or get a break, or _something_, because I want to take a test, and I want you to be there. And dammit, _I _wanted to tell you!"

In fact, she had spent the last hour in Brennan's office rehearsing what she was going to say to him (a straightforward _James, I think I might be pregnant_, or _James, I don't want to scare you, but there's a chance, _or _James, my period is late and I threw up this morning, _or _James, I've never been more terrified in my entire life, please hold me and tell me it'll be okay_).

"Okay, well." He shrugged. "I'm here now."

* * *

"Are you okay?" he asked nervously, reaching over the center console for her hand. "Are you…" he sighed. "I don't know what to ask," he apologized.

She squeezed his hand. "I'm scared. I'm not ready to be a mom."

He nodded. "You know that I'll do whatever it takes for you to still get your PhD. You'll be a forensic anthropologist. I promise."

She smiled weakly despite herself. "I'm not even worried about that," she admitted. "I mean, I am, because it sucks. But I'm just… not ready. You're going to be a great dad, either now or in several years. And I'm—"

"Lily. You'll make a wonderful mom. I know."

"_If _I'm pregnant."

"Yes. If."

She went silent, praying that she wasn't.

* * *

They stood in front of shelves of pregnancy tests, Aubrey's arm firmly around her shoulders. She leaned into his side and groaned, then reached out and picked one.

"I don't know," she shrugged. "I've seen commercials for this one. And it comes with two in the box. I should have asked my mom."

When she put it on the conveyer belt, she wanted to melt into the floor—she couldn't even look at the cashier, for fear that she would give away how she really felt. Aubrey pressed a reassuring hand to her back as he moved past her to the credit card machine, before she could even reach for her wallet. He smiled back at her, and she felt tears well up in her eyes—_what a wonderful, wonderful man. How lucky I am. How much I love him._

And then she cursed inwardly, because being emotional was just another symptom she could add to her mental list.

* * *

"You can come in now," she said, and Aubrey opened the bathroom door to find her washing her hands, the two tests resting face down on the edge of the tub.

"How long?" he asked, looking at his watch.

"Three minutes."

She leaned up against the doorframe with her eyes closed, shaking with nerves, and then she winced.

"I'm going to throw up."

And she did, Aubrey kneeling behind her, holding her hair with one hand and rubbing her back with the other. With her head in the toilet, she felt like her fate was sealed.

When she was done, she leaned back against him, trying to keep herself from crying. He wrapped his arms around her and laid his head on top of hers.

"It's okay, Lils. It's going to be okay."

They just sat for a few moments, silently, until Aubrey could bring himself to look at his watch.

"Time's up."

Lily stood, Aubrey helping her—she didn't look very steady on her feet. She rinsed her mouth out quickly, then turned around, leaning against the counter.

"I can't look. You do it."

He put his back to her, hiding the actual tests from her view, and she wrapped her arms around herself to try and combat the shaking. It didn't work. It felt like an eternity before Aubrey let out a breath, turning to her with a shrug.

"They're both positive, Lily."

She let out a half-sob, collapsing against him.

He wished more than anything that he had the words to comfort her—_it will be okay _and _we'll make it work _and _we're going to be a great little family_ all seemed to fall flat even just in his head. He couldn't look at her, into her dazed, sad eyes, and make her feel the light swoop of joy pressing against the fear in his stomach. It was easier for him—it didn't delay any of his dreams.

"Lils," he said softly, stroking her back. "Lily Catherine Booth, I love you. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and with this baby."

"Stop!" she said suddenly, pushing away from him. "James Aubrey, do _not _propose to me right now, I swear to God."

He looked crestfallen. "Would you say no?"

She shook her head. "No. Of course not. I just—this isn't how I want to remember it. Not because you feel like you have to out of some _obligation_. Although I guess that's what it'll be now."

"No, _no._" He paused. "Would it help if I told you I already have the ring picked out?"

The corners of her mouth turned slightly upward. "You do?"

"Do you want to see a picture?"

She thought about it, chewing on her lower lip. "No. Just ask me later."

"Okay." He hugged her again, then took a step back, putting his hands in his pockets and rocking back and forth on his feet. "What do we do now?"

She shrugged. "You need to get back to work."

"Really? You want me to go back to work?"

"It's not like there's anything to _do _right now, James," she said softly. "I'm fine."

He reached out to touch her cheek, smoothing his thumb across her skin. "Are you sure?"

She nodded. "Yeah, yeah. It's going to take a little while to sink in, anyway."

She was lying—her insides had twisted into knots, squeezing her. But she didn't want Aubrey to see. She didn't want him to worry any more than he already was, and she didn't want to steal the happiness she could see in his eyes just because she couldn't feel it.

He could always tell when she was lying, but he let her, let her feel like she was in control because he knew she needed it.

He smirked at her. "You're sending me back to work, to your dad, without telling him? You're sending me into the lions' den there, Lils."

"You're a big boy," she said gently, poking him in the stomach.

"I'll just try my best to avoid him."

* * *

She was proud of herself, that she made it through him leaving for work with a quick peck on her lips, that she even waited a few extra minutes to make sure he didn't come back for something he forgot, before she flopped down onto the bed and sobbed until all of her tears were dried up.

* * *

By the time Aubrey (finally) got home from work, Lily was done crying, instead sitting on the couch and watching television. He sank down next to her silently, unsure of what to do.

"A newborn baby has three hundred bones," she recited, almost mechanically, not taking her eyes away from the television.

Aubrey froze. "What?"

"A newborn baby has three hundred bones," she repeated. "They fuse as they get older, which is how adults have only 206. But a baby has three hundred."

"That is… fascinating."

"We should go to my parents'," Lily said. "And tell them. That I'm pregnant."

"Yeah."

* * *

"Stop fidgeting," Lily scolded, reaching around in her purse for her keys in the dim evening light.

"Okay, look, your dad threatened me before they even knew you were pregnant, I'm more than a little afraid of what they'll do to me now." He lowered his voice to a whisper. "They could very literally murder me and get away with it."

"Yeah, except that I need you to help raise this child, and, also, I am equally culpable."

"Somehow I'm not sure that they see it that way."

When they entered, Booth and Brennan were sitting on the couch, waiting in an almost ominous way. Lily unceremoniously dumped her purse onto the counter, pulling Aubrey along with her to stand in front of them.

"So?" Booth asked impatiently. "Are you?"

Lily groaned. "Would you _please _let _us_ announce it? God, you have taken _all _of the possible fun out of this today."

Booth put his hands up in surrender. "Sorry."

"And at least _pretend _to be happy for us," Lily continued. "That would make this a lot easier."

"Of course we're happy for you, Sweetheart," Brennan said. "We love you—both of you—and you're going to make excellent parents. And we'll be thrilled to be grandparents."

"Well, that's good. Because I'm pregnant. I called the doctor. I made an appointment for two weeks from now—I asked if I should come in and take a test, but she said that home tests are pretty accurate, especially if I've been having other symptoms. So I'm almost definitely pregnant." She sighed, like that was her last shred of hope. "About six weeks in, we think, but she said we can make sure at the appointment."

"Congratulations," Booth said, his jaw tight.

Brennan rose to hug her daughter, and in her mom's arms, Lily's grip on her emotions faltered a little. She relaxed into Brennan, letting out a little whimper.

"It's okay, Sweetheart," Brennan soothed.

Booth pointed a murderous look in Aubrey's direction.

"You're going to have to move out of your one-bedroom apartment," he said gruffly.

"I know," Aubrey nodded.

"Kids are expensive. I know how much you make. Are you going to be able to support a family? Is Lily going to be able to get her PhD right after?"

"Dad!" Lily shouted, pulling away from Brennan. "Please, please stop. Not today. I can't handle that today. I—we—need some time to process this, and that is—it's not helping. It's not."

Booth frowned, feeling like he could only do the wrong things.

"I'm so sorry, Mini. I just love you is all."

"I know that."

* * *

Aubrey woke up, reaching for Lily, but her side of the bed was empty and cold. He found her at the kitchen table, staring at her laptop.

"Hey," he said sleepily, squinting in the light. "It's the middle of the night."

"Oh." She didn't even look up at him. "I'm doing research."

"You need to come to bed," he said, forcing himself not to say what had popped into his head—_you're sleeping for two_—because Lily had spent the past three days making no mention of her pregnancy, pretending like everything was normal. He figured it was her way of dealing, and eventually, either she'd come around or she'd be somehow forced into it.

"Okay," she said, almost mechanically, and he stepped behind her, rubbing her shoulders.

"Babe."

"I can't stop thinking about it, you know. My brain just spins, a hundred miles an hour, and I can't turn it off. That's why I came out here."

"I know."

"I know you worry about me."

"I just wish you'd share it with me instead."

She shrugged. "I'm so much like my mom, you know. When things get tough, I hide and I turn to science."

"It's one of the things I love about you," he said softly, bending down to kiss the top of her head.

"Really? You love _that_?"

"I love everything about you. I bet that if you looked at my skeleton, my love for you would be right there in my bones."

Lily scrunched her forehead. "That's scientifically inaccurate. Love is controlled by chemicals in the brain. Even the idea that love is in the heart is metaphoric." She paused, then nodded. "Oh, you were being sweet. That _was _sweet."

"You're right," he smiled. "Sometimes you open your mouth and your mother comes straight out."

She sighed, closing her laptop. "I'm trying. I promise I'm trying. Right now I just… kind of don't feel anything. Which makes me feel so guilty, because I'm such a terrible mother before even becoming a mother."

"Lil." He crouched down next to her chair, taking her hands in his. "You're _not _going to be a terrible mother. You are going to be a _wonderful _mother."

"You can't know that," she whispered.

"I can. Because I know _you_." He squeezed her hands. "That is the end of that argument, Lily Catherine. Now please, come to bed."

* * *

Lily reached for her ID, preparing to swipe onto the forensic platform, when she saw—and smelled—the body laid out on the table.

"Nope," she squeaked, backing away swiftly. "Call me when the bones are clean. Bye!"

She turned on her heel and was gone, Cam, Angela, and Hodgins looking after her in confusion, Brennan unconcerned.

Angela went to her office, where Lily had retreated, a few minutes later, placing a hand on Lily's shoulder.

"You okay, Sweetie? Because that body doesn't even crack the, like, top thirty grossest we've had."

"Yeah, yeah." Lily shrugged. "I'm just not feeling so great today, is all."

"Okay, well, do you think you could handle some pictures? I'd like your help with some stuff."

* * *

"Is this going to be every day?" Lily asked, her back propped up against the cabinets as she sat on the bathroom floor. "I mean, yesterday at the lab I couldn't even be in the same room as a body, and this morning, I wasn't awake ten minutes before I had to hurl."

Aubrey shrugged from the edge of the bathtub. "I'm sorry."

* * *

Lily lie on the paper-covered table in the doctor's office, feeling physically incapable of letting go of Aubrey's hand.

"You know my mom wanted to come with me?" she asked. "She seemed to think that somehow I would handle all of this better with her around."

"She's a good mom. She just wants to take care of you."

"It's a lot to live up to," Lily admitted quietly.

"You have a great model to look to," Aubrey corrected.

Before Lily could protest, the ultrasound technician came in, grinning warmly at the couple. There was a part of Lily that wished he were more sterile, more serious, looking less like he was delivering the happiest news—and a larger part of her that felt immensely guilty for thinking that.

"I'm sure you're more than ready for this," he grinned, reaching to position Lily's legs.

Aubrey grinned back at the man, and Lily felt a pang of jealousy.

And then—and then—the wand was inside of her, and a faint heartbeat started coming through the machine. It was insistent, alive, growing right inside Lily, half her and half James.

Aubrey's mouth fell open, watching the screen as the tech pointed out the tiniest dot.

"There's your baby," he said.

The world seemed to fall away from Lily, so that there was only the dot and the heartbeat and Aubrey's hand squeezing hers. She could only sit there as the technician waited patiently, letting them listen for a few minutes.

"Wow," Aubrey said, and she could hear the tears in his voice, her own vision beginning to blur.

* * *

When they were alone again, Aubrey kissed her fingers gently, feeling like he had never been more in love with the woman in front of him.

"How was that?" he asked, acknowledging that the experience was the most confronted Lily had been with their situation so far. "I know that you didn't want a baby—"

"No," she interrupted, "but I want _this _baby. I want this baby a whole lot."

"Yeah?" he asked, trying not to sound too enthusiastic.

"It's like it happened all at once," she explained. "Like I didn't feel anything, and now I feel—well, still terrified. But at least a little happy. At least a little like a mother. And like I love that tiny little dot and that faint little heartbeat sound more than anything in the whole world."

* * *

**A/N: And so a new adventure begins! I have about 15 chapters planned, so please stick around! And please leave a review—it's what keeps me going.**

**The next chapter gets angsty.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Honestly the first trimester is proof that women are incredible. Most of this chapter is Lily and Aubrey telling people, poor Lily suffering, and Aubrey being an angel (as always).**

* * *

"You're awfully quiet," Aubrey said gently, pulling into the driveway. "You have been the whole way."

"I just, uh…" She looked at her hands, picking them up and putting them back in her lap. "I'm just nervous. Is that weird?"

"Nervous about my mom? She's going to be _thrilled_."

"I know. I know. I just feel guilty that we waited to tell her for over two weeks, and we told my parents the day of. I just… I just couldn't."

No one knew yet—other than Booth and Brennan—and sometimes Lily felt like the secret was choking her. Other times, she was glad to not have to mention it.

"I know."

She reached for the door handle. "Let's go."

Elizabeth Aubrey wrapped her son and his girlfriend in tight hugs before Aubrey even finished knocking, ushering them inside for lunch.

Lily froze suddenly, trying to discretely cover her nose with her hand.

"Lily?" Elizabeth asked. "Are you okay?"

She nodded tensely, and Aubrey looked between the two women, unsure of what to do. He moved toward Lily, rubbing her back.

"Lunch smells great, Mom, it's just, uh…"

"Yeah, I made my crab cakes! You both always say how good they are." She frowned. "Are you car sick from the ride here?"

Aubrey looked at Lily, whose eyes were wide with panic and starting to water.

"Let's just, uh, go outside, Mom. Please."

He led the women onto the porch, and Lily leaned against the railing for a minute, breathing shallowly through her nose, Aubrey and Elizabeth both watching.

"I think I'm okay," she said slowly, turning around to face them. "I'm sorry, I—"

Lily absentmindedly pressed a hand to her stomach, and Elizabeth gasped, looking to her son and his girlfriend.

"You're not—"

Aubrey shrugged. "This isn't exactly how we wanted to tell you, but," he smiled, "yeah, Lily's pregnant. We're having a baby."

"Oh my god!" Elizabeth threw her arms around her son, nearly knocking him over. "I'm going to be a grandma!" She released him and turned to Lily with open arms. "Oh, come here honey!"

When Elizabeth and Lily pulled apart, they were both crying, and Aubrey instinctively reached out for Lily.

"Hormones," she explained, wiping her eyes.

Elizabeth grinned, drying her own tears.

"So, how far along are you? When are you due?" she asked, rapid-fire.

"Um, about nine weeks along, so, uh, late fall."

Elizabeth opened her mouth to ask another question, and Aubrey interrupted.

"Hey, Mom, what about lunch? I'm starving, and those crab cakes, they're calling my name."

"Well, we can eat out here," Elizabeth said, gesturing at the table on the porch. "I'll find you something else to eat, Lily. What about plain pasta? Or toast?"

"Toast actually sounds good."

"Here, I'll help get everything," Aubrey volunteered, following his mom into the kitchen.

"Are you going to marry her?" Elizabeth asked once they were alone, and Aubrey stepped back in shock, lifting his hands.

"Whoa there, Mom."

"No, I didn't mean—I'm just curious, is all."

"We were already planning on it." He shrugged. "I mean, I haven't… _officially _asked her yet. But we've talked about it. I just—I don't know what the timeline will look like now."

Elizabeth nodded. "You're going to be a great father, James."

"I keep hearing that, but… it's not like I had a good one to learn from."

She reached up, putting a hand on his cheek. "No, you didn't, baby, and I'm so sorry. But you are a _wonderful _man. Everyone keeps saying that because they know."

Aubrey smiled. "Thanks, Mom."

"No one has this figured out," she reassured, handing him a stack of plates. "Now, don't leave that sweet girl of your out there alone. And make sure she's warm enough."

Once they were all seated around their dinner, Elizabeth wasted no time in returning to talk about the coming baby.

"Well, now I have to decide if I'm going to be Grandma, or Nana, or Grammy," she grinned.

Lily's fist clenched, her knuckles turning white, and Aubrey reached out to place a reassuring hand on her forearm.

"Are you okay?" he whispered, and Lily nodded.

"What are your parents going to be called?" Elizabeth asked Lily, and Lily froze.

"Um—we, uh—" she stuttered.

"Lily, you're as white as a sheet," Elizabeth interrupted. "Are you feeling sick again?"

Lily shook her head. "No, this is just—I'm still, uh…"

"We're still getting used to this," Aubrey explained. He squeezed Lily's arm and she swallowed hard, looking at him with gratitude. "It's just that this, you know, wasn't exactly planned, and it's kind of still sinking in."

"I'm happy about it, I promise," Lily said quickly. "And I want—I'm so glad that you're so excited, it's just—I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," Elizabeth said, gentle yet firm. "I understand."

Lily sat for a moment, rubbing at the condensation on her water glass with a finger.

"We have a picture," she said quietly. "It doesn't look like much, but it's… it's our baby."

She pulled the black-and-white photo from her purse, leaning over to point out the tiny shape.

"It's…that."

Elizabeth covered her mouth with her hand, tears threatening to spill over again.

* * *

"I told you she would be thrilled," Aubrey said as they got home, Lily putting her purse down on the counter and leaning onto her elbows, head in her hands.

"Now I have to tell Grandpa, and Angela and Hodgins, and Cam and Arastoo, and Michelle, and Lucy, and Parker and Christine, and…just, over and over again, that I—" Lily stopped, looking up at him and shaking her head. "We are adults. We're in love, living together, planning on getting married—_why_ do I feel like a teenager having to tell everyone that I screwed up?"

Aubrey shrugged, leaning up against the wall. "Because, babe, you've been on this fast track to everything you've ever dreamed of, and it's…" he searched for the right word. "Paused."

She stood up, moving toward the table and reaching out to put a hand on the back of one of the chairs. "So? This is—I should be _overjoyed! _I should be bursting to tell everyone, not dreading it." She looked Aubrey in the eyes, her face contorted in grief. "I love this baby! I do! Why am I still not happy about it?"

"It wasn't planned."

She threw her hands up. "You're happy! Isn't it supposed to be the other way around? _I'm _supposed to be the one over the moon, _you're _supposed to be the one who barely sees it as real until it's born."

"You don't think I'm _terrified_?"

Lily froze. "You are?"

"Of course I am! I can't think straight, I can't sleep. I worry about you, about the baby, I worry about money, about—I don't know how to be a dad! I had…I had _such _a shitty father. What if I'm as bad as he is?"

"_James_." Lily crossed the room to stand in front of him, so close that they were almost touching. "James Christian Aubrey, you listen to me right now. You," she placed a hand on his chest, "are _one million _times the man that…bastard is. Having _you _as our baby's dad is the best part about this."

"Well, he did set the bar pretty low."

"Yeah, he did. But you? You are _terameters _above that bar, every day."

"I'm _what_?"

She smiled softly. "It's a trillion meters."

He slid his hand underneath her loose t-shirt, resting his fingertips on her stomach.

"That's a big number."

"Yeah, it is." She put her hand over his, flattening it against her skin. "I'm so scared." She paused, taking a deep breath. "I'm not angry, I'm scared. That's what Sweets would tell me. I think."

"I know he would be proud of you for figuring that out on your own."

"Well, he's not around anymore, so… I have to do it on my own now." Her eyes filled with tears, and she shook her head, trying to clear them.

"Hey, hey." Aubrey cupped her cheek with his free hand, catching the first tear that fell with his thumb.

"I miss him," she admitted.

"I know." He kissed her lightly on the forehead.

"I'm glad you're scared, too, James. I—that makes me feel better, that it's not just me."

"You really thought that I wasn't scared at all? That this isn't one of the scariest things I've ever had to deal with? That I don't know this is throwing a huge wrench into our lives?"

"You've been so—I didn't realize—I'm _so_ sorry."

He shook his head. "You needed me to be strong."

"I don't—James, I don't want you to ever feel like you have to hide how you feel from me. God, I feel so selfish."

"I just—I just want to take care of _you_."

"And you're worried that you could ever be anything like your…_father_?" She said the word with contempt. "You are the kindest, most generous man I know, and the thought of you leaving is not only the worst thing I could think of, but the most implausible thing I could think of."

"I would _never_," he said, almost angrily, and she put her hand back on his chest.

"I _know_." She sighed, leaning her head against his heart. "I know how lucky I am. How lucky we are."

His arms wrapped around her, holding her to him.

"I know how lucky _I _am," he countered. "Especially now."

She pushed back a little. "See, this is what I meant. I just—I just want to be able to tell people we're having a baby—hell, to even think about the fact that we're having a baby—and not feel like it's bad news." She buried her face back in his chest, saying quietly, "I do love it. I _do_. I promise."

"I know you do. I know. You're allowed—_we're _allowed to feel conflicted."

"It's a pretty useless feeling, though. It doesn't change anything." She sighed. "We can tell everybody," she continued in a whisper. "Not saying it out loud doesn't…doesn't make it not real. I think Sweets would say that, too."

* * *

The cashier looked at the pack of ginger ale and box of saltines Aubrey placed on the conveyor belt, frowning a little.

"I sure hope the stomach bug hasn't hit your house," she said sympathetically.

Aubrey shook his head as he pulled out his wallet, unable to stop a grin.

"Morning sickness, actually."

"Oh!" The cashier smiled back. "Congratulations!"

* * *

"Hey, kiddo!" Max greeted in surprise as Lily walked into her parents' house.

He hugged her, then pointed down the hall.

"You _just _missed Hank—I just put him down for his nap."

"I came to see you, actually, Grandpa," Lily said, climbing onto one of the barstools in front of the island.

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah. How about some, uh, Grandpa Floats? I've been thinking about one all day."

"Of course, of course."

Max busied himself with making the drinks, and Lily sat at the island silently, resting her chin in her hands, then putting her forearms on the counter, then picking them back up to hold her chin again.

"What's up, sweetheart?" Max asked.

"I, uh, have news."

"Good news or bad news?"

"Um." She paused for a beat. "Good news." She took a deep breath, steeling herself. "I haven't…told anyone this by myself yet, and I've been thinking of how to tell you, and—well, I think I'm just going to say it."

Max turned to give her his full attention, saying nothing to give her time.

"Grandpa, I'm pregnant."

"Oh, wow!"

He came across the island to wrap her in a hug, and when he pulled back, there were tears shining in his eyes.

"Oh, no," Lily warned. "Do _not _cry. It—everything makes me cry lately, and I don't need it."

Max laughed, nodding his head.

"Okay, okay, I'm just—that's so exciting! How are you feeling?"

She shrugged. "Queasy, tired, emotional—the usual. I've been around Mom, twice, and Angela, so I kind of knew what to expect."

"And Aubrey? How is he?"

"Oh, ecstatic. Wonderful, as always."

"He better be," Max smiled. He handed her a glass. "And here is your Grandpa Float. Wow, I can't to make these for your little one. I never thought I'd get to be a grandpa, much less a great-grandpa."

* * *

"Good morning," Aubrey greeted, walking back into the bedroom.

Lily looked at him suspiciously from her side of the bed.

"What were you _doing _out there?"

Aubrey pulled a cup with a straw from behind his back.

"I made you a smoothie. According to the internet, it's supposed to help with morning sickness."

Lily sat up, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

"Thanks, babe. You're—you're the best."

He winked. "I know." He handed her the cup as he moved toward the bathroom. "I'm gonna go take a shower. Let me know if you need anything."

* * *

"These are always the weirdest triple dates," Lily said, walking arm-in-arm with Aubrey into the Founding Fathers. "Like, my boyfriend and I going out to dinner with my aunts and uncles. How did these start, anyway?"

"I don't know, you were a part of these long before I came along."

Lily nodded. "You're right. You are definitely what made this weird."

"Um, okay. In this case, it's the best way to tell them the news all together." He paused, looking at her with concern. "How is the smell in here?"

"I actually feel fine," she said brightly. "Granted, that could change on a dime, but, for now, I will take it."

They walked up to the already full table just as the waiter stood there, pad in hand.

"Perfect timing!" Arastoo said.

"Rosemary gin and tonic?" Angela asked Lily, nodding toward the waiter.

"Oh, no, just water for me tonight, thanks."

Lily saw the way Angela was looking at her, and immediately averted her eyes.

As the waiter left, Aubrey put a hand on Lily's thigh under the table, looking at her with raised eyebrows.

"Should we…"

"Oh, have you got something to announce?" Hodgins asked.

"Yeah," Lily said, putting her hand over Aubrey's. "I mean, you're usually not supposed to tell people this early, but you're our family." She looked to the other four people at the table, gauging their expressions, and turned to Aubrey. "You tell them, babe."

"You sure?" he asked. He leaned down to her ear. "These are _your _people."

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure. These are _our _people."

"Okay. Hodgins, Angela, Cam, Arastoo—we're having a baby!"

All four exclaimed—"oh my god!" and "congratulations!" and "wow!" and "how wonderful!" and clapped their hands.

Lily tilted her head sideways. "You all knew," she said flatly.

Only Cam had the decency to look sheepish—Angela nodded, and Hodgins actually grinned.

"Of course, Sweetie," Angela explained, "but we knew you needed time."

"And we wanted to let you announce it," Cam added quickly, "have some fun."

"_You _knew," Lily specified, pointing at Angela.

"Well, yeah. I've been pregnant before. It was obvious."

"And you told Hodgins, who told Cam, who told Arastoo?"

They all nodded, and Lily did the same, leaning back in her chair.

"Well, we could have saved a lot of time trying to plan how to announce it," Aubrey said with a shrug.

"Congratulations, man," Arastoo said, reaching around the table to clap Aubrey on the shoulder.

"Wait," Lily said, looking to Cam and Arastoo in a panic. "You haven't said anything to Michelle, have you?"

"No, no," Cam assured.

"Okay. Good. We're having breakfast tomorrow and I'm telling her then." Lily reached into her purse. "Oh, and one more thing. Do you guys want to see the ultrasound?"

Angela and Cam actually squealed.

* * *

"Here are the French fries you asked for," Aubrey said as he entered the apartment, fast food bag held aloft, "plain and very salty. Wait." He froze, looking at her. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

Lily sniffed loudly, wiping her nose with the tissue in her hand. "Yeah, it's just—it's this movie. It's very sad."

"We've watched this movie like three times and you've never cried even a little bit," he said, sitting down next to her and placing the fries on the coffee table. "And you've obviously been crying a lot, I mean, your face is all red and puffy."

She turned her head slowly, glaring daggers. "What did you just say?"

"Whoa, okay. I'm sorry, I was just—worried."

She softened a little bit, and then tears began afresh. "It's the hormones! I feel crazy! And now—now I look all ugly, apparently, and—"

She flopped over, burying her face into the pillows next to her.

"_O_-kay." He rubbed her back cautiously, searching for words—any words. "You are not—you could never be—ugly, but… what do you want from me here, Lil? I'm kind of lost."

"I don't _know_."

Aubrey nodded, continuing to rub circles on her back. "Cool, cool. I'll just, uh…your fries are there, the movie is still on, I'm right here."

"You don't have to be right here," she said softly, adjusting herself so that she was lying down comfortably.

"Do you…want me to go?" he asked carefully.

"No," she said quickly. "You rubbing my back feels _really _good."

"Then I will not stop until you tell me to."

* * *

"Babe?" Aubrey asked as he walked into Angela's office.

Lily stirred on the couch, blinking her eyes open slowly, and Aubrey frowned.

"Oh no, you were asleep! Angela just said you were in here. I didn't mean to wake you. I'm sorry."

"What time is it?" she asked groggily.

"2:30."

"Oh. I didn't mean to sleep that long. Or really at all. I'm just so tired. All the time."

"I imagine that growing a whole human being inside of your body takes a lot of energy," Aubrey said, sitting next to Lily as she pulled herself up.

"That makes it sound pretty badass," Lily smirked.

"I sure think it is."

Lily reached a hand over and stroked his hair, and he sighed in contentment.

* * *

Aubrey reached up to cup one of her breasts, and Lily pulled away with a sharp gasp.

"Ow," she said apologetically. "They're so sore."

"I'll be gentle," he promised, craning his neck up to catch her lips again.

She moaned, and he brought his hands down to her hips, flipping her in one fluid motion so that he was on top of her. He started kissing her neck, moving down to her collarbone, and she pushed at him suddenly.

"Stop. James, stop."

Surprised, he leaned back, and she quickly pulled herself out from underneath him, sprinting to the bathroom just in time to be sick. Aubrey sighed, rubbing his face with his hands and sliding slowly off the bed.

He knelt down beside her as she threw up, reaching for her hair.

"No," she said shortly, not looking at him. "Go back in there."

"Lil—"

"Go," she said again, her voice cracking.

"Are you crying?" he asked, alarmed.

She sniffed in response, rubbing her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Hey, hey," he soothed.

She flushed the toilet with one hand, wiping her eyes with the other.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I completely ruined a _great _thing we had going on there, I—" she stopped, squeezing her eyes closed to try and stop the tears that were beginning to come in earnest.

"_Lily—_" Aubrey ran a hand through his hair, unsure of what to say. "I know this is really hard for you. Don't ever be sorry for that. It's going to get better, okay? Probably."

She turned to look at him. "Did you just say _probably_?"

"Well." He shrugged. "I mean, would you rather me lie to you and promise you'll stop getting sick?"

"Right at this moment? Yes. Absolutely."

"Okay. You're going to start feeling better soon, I promise."

She laughed a little, wiping her cheeks with the back of her hand. She looked down at herself, half-naked and crying, leaning against the toilet bowl, and laughed again.

"Tell me, James Aubrey, isn't this the most attractive I've ever been to you, crying and vomiting simultaneously?"

He laughed too, kissing the back of her head.

"I mean, you're having my baby, so that makes this all kind of cool."

"Ah, yes, thank you for reminding me that you did this to me."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I hope this was worth the wait.**

* * *

"Hey, Christine," Aubrey called. When the little girl came obediently into the kitchen, Aubrey swung her up onto the counter, bending down so that he was eye level with her. "We have a present for you."

"A present?" She smiled, taking the gift bag Lily handed her and digging through the tissue paper excitedly. When she pulled out a colorful baby toy, she looked at it in confusion. "Is this for Hank?"

Lily shook her head, laughing a little. "No, silly. It's for _you, _because you are very good at playing with babies and we will need your help soon."

"Is Mommy having another baby?"

Lily laughed again, putting a hand on her stomach. "No." She gestured between herself and Aubrey. "_We _are having a baby."

"You're having a baby? Yay!" She put her hands on her cheeks, grinning wide in excitement. "Sissy, you're gonna be such a good mommy! And Aubrey, you're gonna be such a good daddy!"

"Aw, thanks!" Lily said, and Aubrey winked.

"Wait." Christine looked thoughtful for a moment. "What does this make me?"

"You'll be the baby's aunt," Aubrey explained.

"Like Auntie Angela?"

"Yes, just like Auntie Angela."

"Well, I'm not big enough now to take the baby to do fun things like Auntie Angela takes us to do fun things. But maybe one day."

Lily smiled. "You can do lots of fun things with the baby even without being big, I promise."

"Did you tell Parker yet?" Christine asked.

Lily nodded. "I did. And the good thing about having to talk to him through the computer is that I have a picture of his face when I told him. Do you want to see it?"

"Yes! Is the baby a boy or a girl?"

"We don't know yet," Aubrey said. "But we'll tell you as soon as we do. Now—" he rubbed his hands together. "We have cupcakes to celebrate!"

"Oh," Christine said. "I knew if I came over here there would be something yummy to eat."

* * *

"Ugh!" Lily threw the offending shirt onto the floor, where it joined a pile of several others.

"What?" Aubrey asked, sticking his head out of the bathroom.

"None of my clothes fit," she explained, turning back to the rack in front of her. "And it's not even my stomach. It's mostly my boobs."

Aubrey stepped the rest of the way into the closet, looking her up and down.

"Yeah, I—they're bi—" He scratched the back of his head. "I'm trying to be both sympathetic and..."

"Horny?" Lily asked, raising a brow.

"Yeah, pretty much."

* * *

Lily stepped from the bedroom into the living room, blinking herself awake. Aubrey was laying on the couch, hands behind his head, and from the tv light, she could see he was awake.

"Hey," she said softly.

He pressed himself back into the couch cushions as she sat down at his waist, reaching a hand out to run it through his hair.

"Can't sleep?"

"No," he said. "I thought the tv might help, and I didn't want to wake you up."

"There's too much on you," she said gently, continuing to stroke his hair as he slid one arm across her lap. "Work, the baby, money, me, your dad…" she mused. "What is it tonight?"

"All of the above." He rubbed her thigh. "Everything is just, uh, spinning through my head at like a hundred miles an hour."

"It's too much," she repeated.

"Nah." He moved his hand from behind his head and took her hand that was in his hair, kissing the inside of her wrist. "I'll be okay." He pulled lightly on her wrist. "Come here."

She laid down on her side next to him, resting his head on her chest, and he kissed the top of her head, sliding his hand down to rest on the curve of her waist.

"You're okay, the little one is okay… that's plenty for me."

* * *

"So this is it?" Aubrey asked, phone in his hand. "The official Instagram announcement."

"You don't have to be so dramatic about it." Lily rolled her eyes. "Which picture are you using?"

"These two." Aubrey showed her two of the photos Angela had taken of them in the Jeffersonian rose garden—one of Lily and Aubrey standing side-by-side and holding hands, Lily's free hand on her stomach, Aubrey holding an ultrasound photo in his, the two of them grinning, and one of the two of them facing each other, Aubrey kissing Lily's forehead, the two of them with their hands on Lily's stomach.

"Oh, yeah, those are good ones."

"What about you?"

Lily showed him her choice—Aubrey standing behind her, one of his arms around the front of her shoulders, the other holding the ultrasound photo, his mouth open in excitement and Lily laughing.

"Really, that one?" he asked. "I look goofy as hell."

"That is why it's my favorite," she explained. "Man, I love having a friend who is a photographer and who cares about my Instagram aesthetic as much as I do."

_jamesaubrey: The secret's out—we're making the quick change from couple to family! Surprised, excited, in awe, etc. I love this woman and I love this little one we're adding. Baby Aubrey coming in the fall!_

_lilycateb: Oh baby! We like each other so much that our genes are getting combined. James is prepping all his dad jokes because Baby Aubrey is due in the fall!_

"Did you really just comment 'hot mama' on my post?"

"Uh, yeah. Because you are."

* * *

"Hey there," Lily greeted at the sound of the door opening, leaning up against the kitchen counter.

"Hey," Aubrey said, his keys jingling as he tossed them onto the side table.

"Come here."

"What?" he asked.

"Come here."

"Why?"

She sighed. "Would you just come here?"

He walked into the kitchen to stand in front of her.

"What do you want?" he asked.

She reached for him, dipping her hands into his front pockets and pulling him close. She kissed him, pushing up on her toes to deepen it. Instinctively, he grabbed her waist, his fingers digging into her hips.

"Whoa," he said, pulling back, and she could feel him smile against her mouth. "I barely got inside the door," he laughed.

"Are you complaining?" she asked.

"Not even a little bit."

He peppered her jawline with kisses, pushing his nose into her hair. He sat her on the counter, standing between her thighs, his hands spanning her ribcage.

"I like you a lot."

"Only _like_?" she teased, pressing her toes into the back of his calf.

He kissed her, pushing her backwards, and she bumped her head on the cabinets behind her. She gasped, her hand flying to cover the spot she hit, and he covered her hand with his own. She leaned forward, putting her forehead on his shoulder, and he kissed the top of her head gently.

"Ow."

"I'm so sorry," he said, rocking her side to side. "I was just about to tell you that I love you so much."

She sat up, keeping one elbow propped up on his shoulder and resting her cheek on her fist. "I know you do."

He turned his head to kiss her again, and she slipped a hand under his jacket to grip his shoulder. Grinning, he pulled away, quickly taking his jacket off and throwing it onto the kitchen table. She laughed, raking her fingers down his chest, and he unbuttoned the cuffs of his shirt. Lily loosened his tie, and he slid his hands up her thighs to her hips, pushing his fingers up underneath her t-shirt, her breath hitching as his warm fingers brushed her ribs. She put her hand on his jaw, brushing her thumb over his lips. Aubrey kissed it gently, looping one of his arms around her back and lifting her up off of the counter. She let out a small noise in surprise, wrapping her legs around his waist to keep from falling.

"Let's go somewhere less dangerous," he said, his voice low.

She giggled, pressing her forehead to his. "I am so in love with you."

"I know."

* * *

"Thank you for the clothes," Lily smiled, putting the last of the folded shirts down and walking towards the kitchen, where Angela was working on dinner. "Can I… ask you something?" she said uncertainly.

"Of course, Sweetie. Anything."

"You've been pregnant before, and it's just that…there are some things you can't ask your mom, no matter how close you are, and, uh— "

"You want to jump Aubrey's bones every time you see him, don't you?"

Lily leaned against the counter, letting out a loud exhale.

"Angela. He is so sexy."

Angela laughed. "Yes, that is totally normal for the second trimester. And I bet Aubrey isn't complaining."

Lily smiled. "No. He's not." She paused for a moment, acknowledging Hodgins as he walked into the kitchen. She started tapping her fingers on the counter, then stopped suddenly.

"What?" Hodgins asked.

"I feel like we got…robbed of something," she said.

"What do you mean?" Angela asked, stopping her stirring to turn and look at Lily.

"Like…we were supposed to have more time to just be the two of us. I mean, we aren't even engaged yet. We were supposed to have _years_. And now there's—well, now there's a whole other person in the mix, before we even got to really just be _us_."

"Ahh." Angela nodded. "But, Sweetie, this other person is part you and part him, and it's a whole new adventure you get to take on as a team."

"What if it—" Lily drummed her fingers on the countertop. "What if it changes things?"

"Oh, it will change _everything_."

Angela smiled, but Lily frowned.

"No, I mean what if it—what if it changes _us._ What if we didn't have enough time, and it—we can't be a team?"

"Oh," Hodgins said with realization. "I mean, you don't think—Aubrey's not…acting like he doesn't want this, right?"

"No, no. Oh god, no. Aubrey's been…perfect. I can't imagine anyone being any better."

"Do _you_ feel any differently about him?" Angela asked.

"No! I love him—I love him _so_ much, Ange."

"Then—look, this is stressful enough for you two. What's the sense in worrying about this, too?"

"I can't help it. I worry about everything."

"Welcome to motherhood, Sweetie." Angela softened. "Look, babe. You and Aubrey love each other. You two are great together."

"You're going to make a great team," Hodgins assured her. "I know it."

* * *

"He was going to get better," Arastoo explained, setting the skull back down on the table. "But someone killed him before he got the chance."

He put the skull down, and Lily sniffed, her eyes suddenly brimming with tears.

"That's so sad," she said quietly, wiping her cheek, and Arastoo's eyes went wide.

"Oh my god. Lily? Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she said quietly, and Aubrey rubbed her back soothingly, holding a thumb up to Arastoo.

"She's good. Just give it a minute."

"It's so sad," Lily repeated, and Aubrey nodded.

"Yeah, it is. I know." He looked at Arastoo, mouthing 'baby'.

"Ahh," Arastoo said.

* * *

"Lils, come here," Aubrey said, looking up from where he sat at the kitchen table, his laptop in front of him. "Tell me what you think about the kitchen in this apartment."

She stood next to him, resting her elbows on the table. "It's a good size, but those cabinets…"

"I know, but look at this porch."

As he clicked through the pictures, Lily slid onto his lap, wrapping one arm around his shoulders so that she could run her fingers through the hair at the back of his neck.

"Well, hi," Aubrey said softly, running his hand up and down her waist and ribcage.

"The pool is nice," Lily remarked, laying her head on his shoulder. "You smell good," she said, kissing the underside of his jaw.

"Oh, thank you. I took a shower."

"Well, maybe you should do that more often." He laughed, and she kissed his cheek, then his earlobe.

"Lily, stop distracting me. I'm trying to focus," he said gently, pulling his face away.

"Are you telling me that you would rather— "

"No, of course not," he interrupted. "But we _have _to start seriously looking for an apartment with another bedroom, and within our budget, and with enough time to set up a nursery, and.."

She nodded. "I know. I _know_. It's just— "

"It's not exactly fun, I know."

"No." She paused. "I mean, it could be. We're looking for _our _first place—don't get me wrong, I like this apartment, but it was _yours_ and I just moved in. We're looking for a place for _us_, for us and our _baby_."

He smiled. "You're right."

"I just—" she smoothed her thumb over his forehead, trying to iron out the wrinkles there. "I don't like seeing you so stressed out. I want to make it better."

"How many times do I have to tell you that I'm okay?" He lifted her hand to his lips. "Besides, I don't start my days throwing up for an hour, so I do not feel like I got the short end of the stick here."

Lily laughed. "You know, that's a good point." She relaxed back into him. "Is there a model for that apartment we can go look at?"

"You telling me you can live with those cabinets?"

"I mean, we should keep looking for better cabinets. But we can keep it on the list."

* * *

"We haven't talked about your dad in a while," Lily said, trying to fill a weird silence during dinner, Aubrey still in his suit and tie, fresh from work.

"Uh, yeah, and I don't want to."

"But James— "

"I said I don't want to, Lily! God."

He let his hand drop heavy to the table, making the silverware jump on his plate. Lily stayed unmoving, her face set.

"What is wrong with you?" she asked.

"Nothing. But when I say I don't want to talk about my dad—I don't want to talk about him."

"You would think I asked about it a hundred times the way you just jumped down my freaking throat," she said, standing up and taking her plate to the sink.

"Well, I said—"

"Yeah, I heard you."

He rolled his eyes as she walked out of the kitchen, headed toward the bedroom.

"Lil, sit down. Eat."

"I'm not hungry anymore, thanks. I'm going to go watch TV."

"What, I'm not allowed to be in a bad mood? Only you? Because you're pregnant?"

Lily took a deep breath, turning around to face him. "Are you serious right now?"

"I'm just saying."

"Okay. I don't mean to be mean to you, I just feel so bad, and you're…there. And I apologize every time!"

"Yeah, but you keep doing it. Can I just have this once? Can I say no and be left alone?"

"Yes! Fine!" She turned on her heel and slammed the bedroom door behind her.

Twenty minutes later, he opened the door and leaned up against the doorframe with a sigh. When she looked up at him, he flinched a little.

"Have you been crying?"

She turned her face, opening her mouth to deny it and then closing it. Instead, she looked back up at him.

"You hurt my feelings."

"I'm sorry. I was just—I'm in a bad mood is all."

She shrugged. "It happens."

"I still don't want to talk about it, but—but I've been thinking about my dad. A lot."

"No kidding." Lily breathed out. "I mean, I know. I figured. That's why I asked."

He nodded. "It's just—it's not easy. I don't like it. I don't the way it makes me feel. I'm just…not ready. Not yet." He looked up at her. "But when I am ready—I'll let you know."

"I know you will."

"And making you cry—you know that's the last thing I want to do, ever."

"I know that, too." She smiled weakly. "And that's a lot easier to do nowadays."

"Doesn't make it okay. I'm sorry."

She waved a hand at him. "Already forgiven." She stroked a hand down her stomach and watched as his eyes followed it. "Come here," she said softly, and he crossed the room to the bed, sitting stiffly next to her.

"Can you feel it moving yet?" he asked quietly, his hand reaching to rest on her stomach.

She shook her head. "Not yet. But you know it's just the size of a pomegranate right now. We'll get there soon."

"You're starting to look— "

"Pregnant?" She chuckled. "And not like I've just eaten a burrito?"

"Well, I have often just eaten a burrito. And one sounds really good right now."

"We literally just ate dinner."

"I didn't say I was going to go get one." He closed his eyes. "I'm still grumpy." She reached for his hair—but he pulled back. "I know you're trying to help, but—can you please just let me be grumpy for a little bit?"

"Go grumpy play some video games."

"I'll come back when I can be nice."

A couple of hours later, he climbed into the bed again.

"I can be nice now."

"Do you feel better?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry."

Lily shrugged. "You were right."

"Right? About what? We weren't even fighting about anything. I was just being a dick."

"I shouldn't get to take out my feeling bad on you. It's not fair that you're always Mr. Understanding."

"Ah, that's my job."

"No, it's not."

"Lily, again: I don't wake up puking every morning. I will not go through labor. I did not get the short end of the stick here."

"That is always a good answer. But you are—you're _always _so good to me."

He shrugged, looking sheepish.

"What can I do to make you feel more loved?" she asked, and he looked up, contemplating.

"Well, I mean, we have already been having extra sex lately, thank you second trimester."

She playfully slapped his chest with the back of her hand. "Hey! I was being serious."

"So was I. I like it, I mean, obviously, but also I like the…attention." He narrowed his eyes. "Am I being Sweets'ed?"

Lily pinched her fingers together. "A little bit. It's a good sentiment, though. I should ask you more often."

"I've never asked you."

"No, you just do it."

"So do you?" He looked at her skeptically. "Lily, I have never felt…not loved."

"Well, that's good." She rolled her eyes. "What can I do _better_?"

He leaned over to rest his hand on her stomach again. "Grow our baby, make dinner sometimes, have sex with me sometimes…I'm a simple man."

* * *

Lily looked up from the magazine she was lazily flipping through as the door to the doctor's office opened, someone in a suit rushing through it like a bull in a china shop.

"I made it," Aubrey said, breathless, spotting her. "I'm here."

"Um…hello?" She took in his leaning against the wall, panting, with knitted brows. "Did you _run_ here?"

"No, just from my office to my car and from my car in here. But I made it. On time. You didn't even get called back yet."

Lily pulled her purse from the chair next to her, gesturing for Aubrey to sit down.

"Babe, I told you that you didn't have to—"

He held up a hand to silence her. "No, no. I told you—from the beginning. I'm always going to be here. I'm not missing a thing."

"I'm just saying, work—your work—is important."

"_Nothing _is more important than you and this baby."

"The safety of the United States of America?"

"Okay, nothing is more important to _me_."

"The safety of the United States of America?" she asked again, and he laughed.

Half an hour later, Lily laid on the table, waiting, Aubrey sitting on a stool by her head. He checked his phone and she turned to look at him, concerned.

"Are you sure you don't need to get back to work?"

"Are you trying to get me to leave?"

"Of course not. I just—"

"I'm _here. _And I'm staying. I will _always_ be here."

As the words left his mouth, there was a knock on the door as the doctor and ultrasound technician entered.

"Are you ready?" the doctor asked, and Lily pulled up her shirt.

Lily shivered a little as the technician spread the cold gel across her stomach, and Aubrey chuckled, taking her hand in his.

"It's cold," she defended, but she said nothing further, as the technician held the wand aloft.

"We're ready," Aubrey said, turning all of his focus to the screen.

As the technician touched the wand to Lily's stomach, a loud heartbeat filled the room. Lily gasped, and Aubrey leaned forward, pulling Lily's hand underneath his chin.

"Doesn't get old, does it?" the doctor asked, smiling.

"No," Aubrey breathed reverently.

"Let's take a look," the doctor said, pointing to different spots on the screen. "There's the baby's head. That looks like a foot. Oh, look! There's the profile. That's your baby's face."

"That little nose…" Aubrey half-whispered.

"It actually looks like a baby, doesn't it?" the doctor asked, continuing to watch the screen, guiding the technician as they took measurements, and Aubrey and Lily looked on.

"Yeah," Lily said softly.

"Well," the doctor continued, turning from the screen to face Lily and Aubrey, "it's still too early for me to tell the gender—we should be able to see that at your next appointment, in just a few weeks. But, the good news is that everything looks great. Baby looks healthy and growing."

* * *

"That looks like a Booth nose," Booth observed, holding onto the ultrasound picture as he and Aubrey nursed beers at the Founding Fathers.

"You think so?" Aubrey chuckled.

"I do, I do. Definitely."

"The doctor said everything looks great," Aubrey said, relief evident in his voice. "Baby is healthy and growing just like it's supposed to."

"It," Booth half-laughed, and Aubrey shrugged.

"She says we can't know the gender for another month. But then I can say 'he' or 'she' and I will feel much better about it."

"'He' or 'she' makes it real." Booth waved the photo. "But so does this. Looks like a baby."

"Yeah, no kidding. We're almost halfway there. It's insane."

"How's Lily?"

"She's good." Aubrey took a long sip from his beer. "She's really good."

"How are _you_?" Booth nudged Aubrey's shoulder. "_Dad._"

"I don't know how to be a dad," he admitted quietly.

Booth shook his head. "No one knows how to be a dad. You just kind of figure it out as it happens."

"Yeah, but I didn't have—"

"Aubrey, you're a good man. You're gonna be great at it. Don't get me wrong—it's not exactly easy. But you're gonna be great."

"Thanks, Booth."

"And, you can take Hank for a whole day. Like Saturday."

"What is that supposed to be, practice? Lil and I have watched the kids lots of times."

"No, they want to have a girls' day and I'm working."

* * *

"Ohhhh, my god. So sweet," Lily said, looking down at her phone underneath the dinner table.

"What? Would you like to share with the class?" Booth asked.

"Elizabeth is going through baby pictures and sending them to me, and baby James is the cutest thing I have ever seen," Lily explained.

"What? Give me that," Aubrey said, reaching for the phone. Lily jerked it away and handed it to her mother instead.

"A look at things to come," Booth said, craning his neck to see.

"There are—how many baby pictures of me?" Lily asked.

"Five," Brennan said matter-of-factly. "Two newborn ones that that hospital took, one when you're around eight or nine months old, one from your first birthday, and one when you're two." She sighed sadly. "And that's it until pre-k and one school picture a year."

"I can ask my mom to stop sending them," Aubrey offered kindly.

"No!" Lily held her phone close. "Why would I not want to look at baby James? I mean look at those blue eyes. Oh my god."

Aubrey hung his head as the phone got passed to Booth.

"What are you wearing?"

"Oh, it's planes and trains!" Lily protested. "It's cute! I mean, our child will never wear that," she clarified. "But you look adorable. Bless your mom."

Brennan smiled weakly, then reached to touch Lily's arm. "Hey, will you help me get dessert?"

"Yeah, of course," she said cheerfully, handing her phone back to Booth. "You can be in charge of that."

When they reached the kitchen, Brennan stopped suddenly, trapping Lily against the countertop.

"I need you to know something," she said, and the firmness of her voice made Lily freeze.

"What?"

"Lily, I may not have carried you or given birth to you or even known you until you were eleven, but I could not love you any more if you came from my body. You are my daughter."

"Mom, I know that. Of course I know that."

Brennan nodded. "I know. It's just—I see you, I see this, and I wish I could tell you what it was like to be pregnant with you, what your birth was like…but I can't."

"But you are my mother. The end."

* * *

"My mom basically cornered me," Lily told Aubrey, climbing into bed, "to tell me that she loves me just as much as she loves Christine and Hank. In case I wasn't sure."

"I heard how she got when you asked her about the baby pictures."

"You know, sometimes I really do forget that she's not actually my mother. Like, I'll think, 'oh, I hope the baby has her—' and then I realize." She sighed.

"So your dad really has no idea?"

Lily shrugged. "No. He thinks it must have been a one-night stand, and she just wasn't ready for a kid. It wasn't her fault. Or his fault. It took me a lot of time and a lot of help from Sweets to be able to say that, you know—it wasn't either of their fault."

"And I am so proud of you."

"Besides, it's—I have a great life now. And, well, my mom is my mom."

"But everything that happened to you, before…"

"It was horrible. I try not to think about it, but I think about—I think about how glad I am that our baby isn't going to know any of that. Ever."

"No." Aubrey put a protective hand on Lily's stomach. "He or she will not. Or what I went through," he said quickly, and Lily shook her head.

"Our baby gets two loving parents, from the beginning. That's better than what either of us got—we got kind of a raw deal." She put a hand on Aubrey's cheek, and he leaned into it.

"I forget, all the time, too, that they're not—that you—"

Lily nodded. "I've been with them—had my parents—for longer than I was without them. My past is—it's always going to be a part of me. But it's not my life. Not anymore. This is the life I choose to acknowledge."

"Yeah." Aubrey pulled Lily close, burying his lips in her hair. "Come here."

"I'm okay. I promise. Look, I'm not even crying," Lily smiled.

"I know. I just—I just want to hold you."

"I mean, I'm not going to argue with that." She snuggled in closer. "Can I tell you something?"

"Anything."

"I think I can feel the baby moving."

"Really?" he asked excitedly.

"I mean, it's—it's gentle. But I'm pretty sure." She giggled. "It feels _weird_."

He placed a hand on her stomach. "Is it moving right now?"

"You won't be able to feel it yet," she said quietly. "But yes." She put her hand over his. "Don't look so sad, love. It'll be just a few more weeks. Let it get just a little bigger."

"Yeah, yeah. That's cool."

"It has ears, you know," she said. "It can hear you now."

"The baby can hear me?" She nodded, and he moved his hand over her stomach. "Hey, little one. It's your daddy. You keep growing in there, okay? I love you so much."

"Okay, now I'm crying," Lily said, sniffing. "It's moving. It moves more when you talk."

"Yeah?" Aubrey grinned. "Really? Do you know me already, little one?"

* * *

"Okay, you ready?" Aubrey asked as Lily climbed into bed next to him.

With a smile, she laid down, head on his chest, and he wrapped an arm around her, kissing her on the head and returning his hand to the side of the baby book he had open across his lap.

"'At eighteen weeks pregnant, baby is the size of an artichoke, measuring 5.6 inches long and weighing 6.7 ounces and growing quickly'," he read. "I _love _that it compares the size of the baby to a different food every week."

"You would."

* * *

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you…" Aubrey sang, and Lily giggled as she walked into the kitchen, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

"Good morning, sunshine," she greeted, standing on her tiptoes to kiss him.

"How do pancakes sound?" Aubrey asked, turning back toward the counter.

"I think I could handle plain ones," she answered, leaning up against his side.

He curled his hand around to scratch her back, and she hummed contentedly, turning her head to kiss his shoulder.

"I can't make pancakes one-handed," he teased.

"Hmm."

He acquiesced with a chuckle, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her temple.

"Cuddles first, I guess."

She nodded against him. "Yeah, this is the stuff. This feels so nice."

"How are you doing this morning?" he asked. "Like, how are you feeling?"

"I'm okay. I'm so tired of feeling sick and emotional, but this," she nuzzled her face against him, "this helps."

"Your belly is going to get in the way of this soon," he chuckled.

"Mm-hmm."

She gave him a squeeze, then let go, leaning against the counter.

"You may make pancakes now."

He smiled. "Thank you." Giving the batter one more stir, he looked back over at her. "So. How did you imagine spending your twenty-fourth birthday? Before…all of this?"

"Well, for one thing, I figured we would go to a bar—or several bars—tonight."

"I mean, we could still do that."

"So I can watch you guys drink? Pass."

"I'm just saying."

"Lucy and Michelle's new plan is brunch tomorrow, which just means they're going to make a big deal out of how they're not going to drink mimosas because I can't, and then I'm just going to tell them to drink the stupid things."

"I can't _believe _that I did not get an invite."

"Go have some kind of man brunch with your friends, dude, I don't know what to tell you."

Aubrey put the first finished pancake on a plate, and Lily grabbed a fork, reaching to take a bite.

"Wait!"

"Uh, why? It's my birthday. I get the first one."

"Yeah, duh. Just hold on."

"Ugh, but I'm _hungry._"

Aubrey paused for a second. "Okay, go ahead. But only because I am very glad you're actually hungry—you worry me sometimes. But I have candles, so after that one, wait until there's a stack."

"Aww, you bought candles?"

He pointed the spatula at her. "It would be really great if you could stop being surprised every time I do something romantic. I am extremely cute."

"Hell yeah you are."

She smacked him gently on the ass, and he laughed.

"Okay, seriously though, did I imagine, even a few months ago, that I would be pregnant on my twenty-fourth birthday? Of course not. I thought I would still be in that selfish, vaguely almost-irresponsible phase of life, and probably get really drunk tonight just because it's my birthday. It just means that I am a lot more grown up on my twenty-fourth birthday than I planned." She paused. "Does that make you feel like I'm really young? Since you're an old man."

"Oh my god. I am _four years _older than you."

"Four and a _half_," she corrected.

"Four and _four months_," he countered. "What happened to being precise?"

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. But I am very happy to be not-nauseous enough to eat pancakes with the world's hottest baby daddy this morning. We're a little family and that's pretty great."

"Yeah, it is." Aubrey leaned down to kiss her, then put a hand on her stomach. "Hey, you in there. It's your mama's birthday today, so be nice to her."

"Please."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: This is the final chapter before we get back into the season 12 episodes! Also, bonus points if you catch the two references/quotes in here.**

* * *

"What do you want for dinner?" Aubrey asked from the kitchen.

"A supreme pizza," Lily answered, laying on her back on the couch. "And breadsticks. And—this is how I know I'm carrying _your _child, oh my god."

"What?" he asked, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

She sat up, looking at him with narrowed eyes. "You know that spray cheese, in a can? I—I want some of that. Right now."

"I have been _waiting _for the day my culinary habits rubbed off on you," he said gleefully, rubbing his hands together. "Come here."

He pulled the spray cheese out of the cabinet as she entered the kitchen.

"Aren't you going to get out the crackers?" she asked, and he shook his head.

"Oh, oh no. Come here."

He took her chin in his fingers, gently opening her mouth, and sprayed some of the cheese on her tongue.

"Oh, my god."

"Good, right?"

"This is…exactly what I wanted. Give me some more."

He obliged, and then sprayed some in his own mouth.

Lily shook her head. "If my mother knew I was eating this…"

"She would be _horrified_," Aubrey agreed, giving her another helping.

"Completely." She took the can from him. "Have you ordered my pizza yet? _And_ breadsticks. And maybe some cinnamon bread."

"Okay, I know this is about your pregnancy cravings, but it's like you don't know me at all. Have I ever not ordered breadsticks _and _cinnamon bread?"

"Please just get it here."

* * *

"Oh, wow," Lily said, rubbing her stomach, which was obviously rounded.

"What?" Aubrey asked, looking up from his phone.

She turned toward him, lifting her t-shirt up, and then turned to the side.

"I swear this happened over night," she said, looking down in slight confusion.

"Whoa! That's like, a very real baby bump!"

Aubrey crawled from his side of the bed over to her, reaching out to run his hand over her stomach.

"Yeah, I actually look pregnant now," Lily joked.

"Well, baby is the size of a mango this week." He smiled wide, placing a hand on each side of her stomach, framing it. He leaned forward and placed a kiss just above her belly button, and Lily smiled.

"Hey there, little one," he said gently. He leaned back, looking up at Lily. "I've gotta take a picture."

"Uh, can we wait until I've, like, had a shower and put on mascara, please?"

"Hashtag nineteen weeks. Hashtag almost halfway there. Hashtag we find out the gender in four days!"

Lily rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "You are _such _a dork."

* * *

Lily opened her eyes as Aubrey moved closer against her, reaching out to touch her arm.

"Sorry," he whispered, seeing she was awake. "Bad dream. About my dad," he explained, burying his lips in her hair. "Don't leave me," he whispered, half-asleep.

"Never," she whispered back. She took his hand and placed his hand on her stomach. "First of all, you're stuck with me now."

"Hmmm."

"I could never," she repeated, reaching over to rub his back. "I love you too much. It would be like breaking a piece of me off."

"Hmmm," he said again, and she continued to rub his back until his breath was deep and even.

* * *

"You guys," Lily frowned, walking in, "we said no party."

"Okay, who frowns when they see balloons?" Hodgins asked—he and Angela had tied bunches of pink and blue balloons to their dining room chairs.

"It's not a _party_," Angela said, "but it is a celebration! Come on you guys, this is so exciting. I'm _dying _to know. So that I can go shopping."

"We are also very excited to know," Brennan grinned. "Did you two tell Aubrey's mom yet?"

"Yeah, we called her on the way here," Aubrey said. "She cried. Lily cried."

"_Hey_," Lily scolded. "_You _cried during the ultrasound."

Aubrey shrugged. "I am manly enough to admit that I teared up seeing my—" he grinned slyly—"my baby."

"He almost said it!" Hodgins said. "Come on. Tell us!"

"Yeah, come on!" Booth said, rubbing his hands together. "Boy or girl?"

"Lil," Aubrey said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I think we should give the people what they want."

"Oh, please!" Angela clapped.

"Since there are balloons here, we might as well make use of them," Lily suggested.

"Grab the right color on three?" Aubrey asked. She nodded, and he gestured toward the other two couples. "Count us down."

"One…two…three!" they obliged, and Lily and Aubrey both reached for blue balloons.

"A boy!" Booth shouted, as Angela squealed, "oh, it's a boy!"

Brennan immediately reached to hug her daughter, and Hodgins clapped Aubrey on the arm with a "congratulations!"

"The baby—_he—" _Aubrey corrected with a smile, "is very healthy and growing just the way he's supposed to."

"Have you thought about names?" Angela asked, and Lily shook her head.

"Uh—no, we haven't," Lily answered. She looked to Aubrey. "We should do that, now that we know he is a he."

"What about you two?" Hodgins asked, turning to face Booth and Brennan. "Have you two decided on grandparent names yet?"

"Oh, yes, I've been making a list." Brennan pulled her phone out of her pocket, scrolling to find it. "This is what I have so far," she said. "Bibi, which is Swahili, and I like because I'm Brennan and Bones. YaYa, which is Greek, and I think it's fun. Or MorMor, which is Swedish, for, specifically, mother's mother."

"Okay, okay," Aubrey nodded. "What about you, Booth? Something Polish, maybe?"

"Nah." Booth shook his head, grinning. "I'm gonna be Pop Pop."

"Oh, that's so cute!" Angela said. She pointed to Lily. "I'm going to need you two to go make your registry like, ASAP, because I will just warn you now that I am going to _crazy _spoiling this little guy."

"That reminds me!" Brennan exclaimed. "We brought you something. Or, mostly, Booth did."

"We said no party, and yet—balloons, presents." Lily frowned again.

"Do you not want the present?" Booth asked, eyebrow raised, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"Of course I want it."

Booth picked up a gift bag off the floor and handed it to Lily, Aubrey crowding behind her shoulder to look.

"This works for a boy or a girl—obviously," Booth explained, as Lily pulled out a Flyers sleeper.

"I love it!" she said at the same time Aubrey went "oh, lord."

* * *

Lily and Aubrey collapsed onto the couch after dinner, Lily swinging her legs across Aubrey's lap.

"So…baby boy Aubrey," he grinned, pulling the sonogram photo out of his pocket to look at it—yet again.

"A boy," Lily breathed, rubbing her stomach. "It, uh…feels a little more real today."

"Yeah, it does," he agreed. "_It _is now a _he_. And now there's names and clothes and nursery stuff that can be blue. Or whatever."

Lily shifted a little, pressing a hand to the side of her stomach. "And again with the moving, to again remind us that _he _is a real baby."

Aubrey reached over to put his hand over hers. "I can't wait until I can feel him moving."

"Me either." Lily stroked Aubrey's cheek slowly with her finger. "I hope he has your blue eyes."

* * *

_jamesaubrey: Baby Aubrey is a… boy! Our little man is healthy and growing and we are getting excited to meet him!_

_lilycateb: It's a boy! And major thanks to "Pop Pop" for his first outfit-go Flyers! #babyboyAubrey_

_-jamesaubrey: Don't worry everyone—Cubs onesies already ordered._

_-lilycateb: Get off my post._

_-jamesaubrey: The Cubs have more World Series wins than the Flyers have Stanley Cups. And more recent. Just saying. _

_-lilycateb: They play DIFFERENT sports! It doesn't even matter! GO AWAY_

_-parkerbooth: GO FLYERS!_

_-lilycateb: Thanks for the back-up, Parks!_

_-parkerbooth: That's what brothers are for. _

_-jamesaubrey: Too many Booths! Not fair._

* * *

She hadn't expected Aubrey home early—hadn't bothered to check her phone. She told herself she could have one good cry about the situation, and Aubrey had walked in to find her on the couch, sobbing into a pillow.

"Talk to me," he begged, at her side in an instant, his stomach gripped with fear. "Are you okay? Is it the baby?"

She shook her head, trying to dispel his fears and calm her breathing.

"It's nothing," she said, wiping her eyes and taking a deep breath.

"Obviously not." He pulled her close. "I'm here. I've got you. When you're ready."

She nodded, leaning up against his chest for a moment.

"I got into the PhD program," she said finally.

"Of course you did. Wait—I thought the notification date wasn't for two weeks?"

She nodded. "I went to the dean today, to ask what I needed to know to move my application to next semester. He told me."

"Ahh."

"It's stupid, I know—"

"It's not."

She ignored him. "I told myself I could have a good cry about it before you got home," she explained. "And I mean, it _is _stupid. I'm still going. And I'm having a _baby _for god's sake."

"Lily, how long have you wanted to be a forensic anthropologist?"

"Since I was twelve."

"Exactly. Half of your life."

"Which is why waiting six months doesn't matter at all!"

He shook his head. "This is the thing you've wanted more than anything—the thing you've been working so incredibly hard for. I get it."

"I'm really scared," she admitted.

"About what?"

"What if I can't do it?"

"What are you talking about?" Aubrey asked, shifting to look at her better.

"What if I can't do it? What if I can't handle being a mother and getting a PhD at the same time? Those are both full-time jobs—what if I can't do both?"

"Okay, first of all," Aubrey took her hand, "I have already promised you that no matter _what_ it takes, you _will _get your PhD. And I'm—I'm taking that promise very seriously, okay?"

"But—"

He shook his head. "Secondly, Daisy did it. Your mom and Angela had babies and worked full-time. It is clearly very possible."

"That—that's a good point. But I'm not—I'm not them."

"I mean, it won't be easy. Shoot, I've read just the titles of your textbooks. It wasn't going to be easy anyway." He smiled. "If anyone can be both, and kick ass at both, it's you. Trust me." He put his fingers under her chin, tilting her up to look him in the eye. "Do you trust me?"

"Yes."

He nodded, and placed a firm kiss to her temple. "I am _so _proud of you. You are so smart and hard-working and strong, and I am so goddamn lucky that you love me. And our baby—our _son_—is so lucky to have a mama as awesome as you."

* * *

"Are you eating sour patch kids in the bed again?" Aubrey asked Lily's back through the dark.

"Maybe," she answered through a mouthful of sticky candy. "That sounded an awful lot like judgment."

"No. I am just incredibly offended that you aren't sharing with me."

"You can have…one," she said begrudgingly, holding it out.

"One?" he laughed.

"These are _mine_," she whined.

* * *

"Okay," Aubrey said, sitting on the bed at Lily's feet. "Babymoon."

"Baby _what_?"

"You've read the same books I have. They all say, take a babymoon, one more trip as a family of two before you become a family of three. So we are going to the beach."

Lily smiled. "We are? When?"

"This weekend. I got the Bureau to agree to a three-day weekend, but only _this _weekend. And I know you don't have plans, and Angela is technically in charge of your time off, and she was pretty easy to convince."

"We're really going to the beach, this weekend? Just the two of us?" She grinned.

"Yeah, same place as last time." He crawled up the bed next to her. "I know you've had a tough week, so I went ahead and booked it—_surprise._"

She leaned over to kiss him, pushing herself up against him. "You sweet, sweet man."

They had gone to the beach for another long weekend the summer before, when their relationship was fairly new, and as well as they knew each other, it felt like there was so much more to discover. They had spent the days laying on the beach and splashing each other in the waves, had gorged themselves on seafood, had taken walks holding hands and giggling uncontrollably after too much rum, had spent a lot of time in bed exploring every inch of each other's bodies and desires.

* * *

Aubrey carried their bags into the hotel room, and Lily opened the bathroom door, sighing in relief at the presence of the large jacuzzi tub. They had spent evenings in it the last time, and Lily's body ached even more now for the warmth of the water and of Aubrey wrapped around her.

"Hey, babe?" she called.

"What's up?" he asked from the room.

"Can we just start the evening in here?" she asked.

He came around the corner and looked into the bathroom, smirking. "Already?"

"I'm just sore from the ride here." She rubbed her hip, pressing her other hand firmly to her stomach. "My body is making room for him and it is…not comfortable."

"Yeah, I bet. You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. A bath just sounds really good."

"A bath alone, or…"

"I called you in here, didn't I?"

He smiled, bending down to turn the water on. When he stood back up, she rose up on her tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek, running her hands down his chest and stomach to the hem of his t-shirt, pulling it over his head and dropping it to the floor. She kissed his chest then, pausing as he took her t-shirt off of her, his hands gripping her shoulders lightly as he leaned forward to kiss her.

Breaking apart, he turned around to check the water temperature, and she reached out to touch the shrapnel scars on his back, whimpering as she ran her fingers over the raised skin.

"Babe," he said, plugging the drain and turning back to face her.

"I almost lost you that night," Lily said, tears creeping into her voice.

"Hey, hey. You didn't."

"And I didn't—I was still too scared, even then—to tell you that I loved you."

"Lily, you didn't leave my side the entire time I was in the hospital. I think you made it pretty clear. I was just the world's biggest idiot."

"On that day? Yeah, I can give you that."

He put his hands on her hips, pulling her close. "What's important is that we're here now." He kissed her lips. "No being sad allowed on this trip, okay?"

"I make zero promises. I find that I am not super in control of my emotions lately, if you haven't noticed."

He chuckled lightly. "Fair. But how about, right now? We are going to finish getting undressed and we are getting in this bathtub, and we are not just taking a bath."

* * *

Lily stirred from where she had fallen asleep after the bath, on her side in the middle of the bed, at the sound of the hotel room door opening.

"Hey, beautiful," Aubrey greeted, crossing the room to sit next to her.

"Did you…go somewhere?" she asked, confused. "How long was I asleep?"

"Not too long. I got ice cream." He held a paper bag aloft. "Strawberry _and _mint chocolate chip."

"My hero."

He kissed her temple. "How you feeling, mama? Besides tired."

"Good." She nuzzled her face into his shoulder. "Really good. And even better once I start eating this ice cream."

* * *

Aubrey rubbed sunscreen onto Lily's back, massaging her shoulders with his thumbs as the last bits of white disappeared into her skin. She sighed with pleasure, rolling her neck, and he leaned down to her ear.

"You look amazing in that bikini. Everyone will be looking at you, but you're all mine," he whispered huskily.

"Babe." She turned to face him, pressing her hands to her stomach. "Believe me, no one else is looking at me."

"What are you talking about?" he asked. "You are _incredibly _sexy."

"Aww." She patted his cheek. "That's because it's _your _baby. It's a biological response to the physical manifestation of your own virility."

"Wow, I love when Dr. Lily shows up to the party."

* * *

Lily let the waves crash over her calves, her hands on her hips. "What about James Christian Aubrey, Jr.?"

"Absolutely not."

"The second?"

"Uh, no."

"But _why_?" she whined. "I _like _your name. And you."

"Nope. Next suggestion."

"No." She crossed her arms. "Now _you _have to suggest something."

He leaned down to rest his chin on her shoulder. "Um. Well. What's your dad's middle name?"

"Joseph."

"I like that. Or Noah. Or Josiah."

"Joseph Christian Aubrey..." she mused. "Eh. Maybe. But, I find I am becoming _very _attached to Christian as his middle name. So that makes all of these very Bible-y."

"Attached? Really?"

"Yeah. Like extremely attached."

He rolled his eyes.

* * *

"Uh…what are you doing?" Aubrey asked.

Lily put another handful of sand down. "Um, I am digging a hole for my belly so that I can lay on my stomach and get some sun on my back."

"Okay, that is actually kind of genius."

"I have been accused of that before."

"Would you like help?"

"Please."

He lowered himself from his chair to the ground to assist. "You are one hundred percent going to fall asleep immediately."

"Oh, absolutely. I miss laying on my stomach _so much_. Wake me up in an hour so I can go get ready for dinner."

* * *

Lily walked out of the bathroom in a breezy floral sundress and bright pink lipstick, tossing her curls over her shoulder.

"You ready?" she asked, and when Aubrey looked up to answer her, he froze.

"Holy _shit_."

Lily jumped, startled. "What?"

"You look _amazing_."

"What? Stop." She giggled. "Actually, never stop."

He stepped closer to her, running his hands up and down her arms.

"You are _so _beautiful. Do I tell you that enough? That you are, without a doubt, the most beautiful woman in the world?"

* * *

"I wouldn't have ordered a glass of wine if I knew you were just going to stare at it longingly all night," Aubrey said, taking a sip.

"Please know that I _will _live vicariously through you for the next four and a half months."

"Do you want more bread?" he asked, gesturing toward the empty basket. "Actually, dumb question. I'm just going to ask for more."

He paused as the band started playing _La Vie en Rose_, and Lily smiled.

"Hey. It's our song," she said.

Aubrey shrugged. "I asked them to play it." He stood, holding his hand out to her. "Come dance with me."

"You are being _extraordinarily _romantic tonight."

She followed him out on the dance floor, looking up at him as he swayed them gently back and forth.

"Sing it to me," she requested.

"Only if you sing part of it in French."

"Deal."

She laid her head on his chest and he craned his neck down to her ear, crooning the words softly.

"Give your heart and soul to me, and life will always be _la vie en rose…_"

* * *

After dinner, Lily took off her makeup and changed into only a large t-shirt. She went outside to the balcony, sitting with her legs folded beneath her, listening to the waves. A few minutes later, Aubrey slipped out of the sliding glass door to join her, pushing some of her hair, escaped from the messy bun she had it tied up in, off of her neck.

"Hey," she greeted softly.

"Hey. What'cha thinking about?"

"Honestly? Nothing. I'm just—" she gestured out at the waves—"_being_." She chuckled. "As ridiculous as that sounds."

"No, no." He pulled a chair next to hers, kissing her shoulder, then her cheek, then her temple. "Sounds wonderful."

"Hmmm." She closed her eyes in contentment. "It is."

"Lily," he breathed, and she turned to look at him.

Something in his face was very intense, and she reached out to touch his jaw lightly. "What is it?"

He took her hand in both of his, bringing it to his lips. "No, don't—don't frown." He smiled, giving her hand a squeeze.

"You look so _serious_."

"Oh, I am. The most serious I have ever been," he said, voice low. He dropped their hands to his lap, rubbing his thumb over her wrist. "Lily—Lily Catherine, you are—God, you are _everything_. I love you, so much, with every part of me, and I've known—for a long time, now—that I want _this_—I want _you_—forever."

Lily gasped in realization, pressing her free hand to her mouth, her eyes filling with tears. Aubrey pushed his chair back, lowering himself to one knee and opening a velvet box he pulled from his pocket.

"Will you marry me?"

"Oh, yes! Yes, yes, yes!"

She leaned forward and pressed her hands to the sides of his face, pulling him to her and kissing him desperately—though they were both smiling too much for it to be smooth. Aubrey pulled back for a moment to catch his breath, then kissed her slow and gentle. They broke apart again, and Aubrey wiped the tears streaking Lily's cheeks.

"The absolute _happiest _of tears," she promised.

"Give me your finger," he said. He tried to slip the ring on, but it wouldn't go past her knuckle.

She laughed, instead taking it in her hand. "It's only because I'm pregnant and it's hot."

"We'll have to get you something else to wear for the next few months," he said, as she twisted it back and forth in the dim light to look at it, the diamonds sparkling.

"Do you like it?" he asked.

"It's perfect," she answered. "Besides—I like shiny things, but I'd marry you with paper rings," she said matter-of-factly, handing him the ring to tuck back into its box and into his pocket.

Now on both of his knees in front of her, Aubrey put his hands on her waist, rubbing them up and down her sides. He leaned into her, resting his head on her chest, and she hugged him tightly.

"We're getting married," she whispered in his ear, reverently.

"Yeah, we are." He pulled back, moving his hands to her stomach. "Little boy," he said softly, "I love your mama _so much_."

"And I," Lily said, covering his hands with hers, "love your daddy so much."

"You know," Aubrey said, resting his chin on her chest to look up at her, "I don't think that I've ever been this happy in my entire life."

"'Completely, and perfectly, and incandescently happy,'" Lily quoted with a smile.

Aubrey wrapped his arms around her middle, pulling her to him.

"Come here," he said, picking her up, and she gave a small squeak of surprise, wrapping her legs around his waist.

He opened the door and took her into the room. He sat her down gently on the bed, and she laid back, a sweet, inviting smile on her lips as she stretched out. He laid on his side next to her, propped up on an elbow.

"Forever," he breathed. "You're gonna be my _wife_."

"You're gonna be my _husband._"

"Mm. I like the sound of that a whole lot."

"Me too." She giggled, clamping a hand over her mouth. "Oh my god. I'm so excited."

He grinned, feeling like his chest was being squeezed by his love for the woman next to him.

"The real question," she said when he was silent, "is why in the world aren't you touching me?"

"Oh, yeah?"

He leaned over and stroked her arm, raising goosebumps on her sun-kissed skin. She reached up to touch his cheek and run her hand through the hair on the back of his head, then pulled herself up to meet his lips. He kissed her soft and slow, then pushed harder, deepening the kiss. He groaned, moving his hand from her arm to reach around her back, and he lowered her to the mattress, moving so that he was hovering over her, braced on his knees.

They broke apart, breathless, and she reached for the hem of his t-shirt. "Need these…off," she panted, and he lifted his t-shirt off of his head, then helped Lily out of her hers.

Aubrey kissed her jawline, then moved down her neck. "You are so beautiful," he said into her collarbone.

She raked her fingernails lightly down the solid planes of his chest and stomach, then took his hand from her waist and navigated it lower, moaning loudly.

"James—I love you," she panted, her back arching.

Aubrey's hips rolled against hers. "I'm going to love you forever, Lily."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I have a lot of excuses for why this took so long—my muse visited Star Wars for a while, I've been busy, this chapter is important so I wanted it to be perfect…but I'm finding that we all have some extra time on our hands now, so hopefully there will be more chapters in the next few weeks!**

* * *

Lily took the coffees from the cashier, handing one to Aubrey. She took a sip, then frowned.

"How in the world do you drink—what is this?"

"It's the sweet nectar of life, quad shot cappuccino with cinnamon."

"You have a problem, babe. I think that sip was my allowed caffeine intake for the day."

Aubrey took a sip of the coffee in his hand.

"Mm, vanilla. Tastes like you."

She hit his arm, rolling her eyes. "You're ridiculous."

They traded cups, and Lily turned around to face him, walking backwards, Aubrey reaching out to hold her jacket sleeve to keep her stable.

"So, a new edition of the _Forensic Anthropology Journal _comes out today," she said excitedly, and Aubrey smiled.

"Oh, yeah?" He prepared himself to be regaled by stories of research that he would never really understand, no matter how well Lily explained it—and it was really hot to listen to her prattle on about the science, brown eyes lighting up as she passionately used words Aubrey had never heard before.

"There's this paper I absolutely cannot wait to read, on—_oh_."

She knew who the man was the moment she turned around to apologize for bumping into him.

"Hello, James," he said.

Aubrey froze, and Lily moved closer to him, grabbing onto his arm, her other hand coming to rest on her stomach reflexively.

Philip Aubrey looked at her, at the unmistakable roundness of her middle, at the ring on her finger. He nodded in understanding.

"You look good, son. Your family looks good."

Lily wanted to grab James and run, to take him away from the man who had caused him so much pain.

Wordlessly, Aubrey shrugged his arm out of Lily's grasp and handed her his cup of coffee.

"Hey, Dad. I'll tell you what. I'll make this easy on you. Why don't you turn around, put your hands behind your back."

"James, don't be ridiculous. You can't just arrest me. Sit down, son. You and I need to talk."

Lily didn't miss the way Aubrey's eyes shone, the way the muscle in his jaw jumped. He looked at her for a moment, the helpless look in his eyes breaking her heart.

* * *

"Hey, handsome," Lily greeted, bending down to give Aubrey a kiss. "Need some help?"

"Uh, sure. I'm just starting in on Austin's client files from the tutoring company. Grab a few."

She sat down at the table, pulling some of the files over toward herself.

"So it looks like Austin was pretty popular. He was gaining new clients almost every week," Aubrey explained.

"Hmm, maybe some of the other tutors got a little jealous."

"Yeah, that's what I'm thinking."

Lily flipped through one of the files, then stopped suddenly.

"How are you doing?" she asked.

He put his file down to look at her.

"Did you come all the way here, under the pretense of work, just to check on me?"

"I can multitask, James." She reached for his hand.

He looked around, through the glass windows of the conference room, and she shook her head.

"I'm not going to tell anyone," she assured him, the _including and especially my dad _unspoken and understood. "It's just that you said that if you ever saw him again, he would be arrested immediately. And you let him go." She frowned guiltily. "And then we just…went to work. Like nothing happened. Tell me what's going through your head."

He shrugged. "I don't care what happens to my dad," he said simply. "But…"

She nodded knowingly. "Your half-brother. If you make that arrest, then he grows up without a father, just like you did."

"Now, look, you don't know Philip Aubrey. I mean, everything that comes out of his mouth is a lie meant to manipulate. I don't even know if the kid in the photo is really his."

"But if you don't think he's telling the truth, then why haven't you told the FBI that you saw him?"

He looked down, and she smirked.

"I'm pretty smart, huh?"

Aubrey shook his head, unable to keep himself from smiling. "I think I've told you that once or twice. But it seems to be going to your head."

Lily smiled, and after a beat, picked up the folder she had been reading.

"So, I think I'm starting to see a pattern here with Austin's newer students," Aubrey said, nodding toward the files. "A lot of them used to work with this tutor named Matt Bogdan. Losing clients means losing money."

"Maybe you should talk to this Matt Bogdan guy." She pressed a hand to her stomach. "Your kid wants a candy bar. What do you want from the vending machine?"

He shook his head. "I'm not hungry."

"James?" she asked, frowning.

He chuckled. "Don't look at me like that. I'm fine. Go get your snack."

* * *

Lily tiptoed into the living room, frowning when she saw, by the glow of the tv, that Aubrey was still awake. He looked up at her as she crossed the room and then gently sat on the edge of the couch.

"What are you doing up?" he asked.

"Looking for you."

"You need your sleep."

"So do you," she said softly, reaching out to touch his face.

He shook his head. "I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight."

"Talk to me," she urged. "Please."

All day, he had been—understandably—distracted, and she was trying to give him space, but his silence on the issue had her on edge.

"I don't even know what to say. I don't—I just don't know."

She shrugged. "Me either."

He nodded, absentmindedly rubbing his thumb over her knee. "I hate him, you know," he whispered, not looking at her.

Lily let the words hang in the air for a moment, just looking at the hurt written on his face, trying to swallow the lump in her throat.

"Yeah. Me too." And she did. She _hated _Phillip Aubrey—for everything he had put James and Elizabeth through, for the way James still carried that pain, for the way he was looking at her right now. For the way Phillip Aubrey had treated his son—something she found unfathomable as her own son grew inside of her.

"I've thought about what it would be like to see him again," Aubrey continued. "For so many years. But I never thought it would make me feel like this."

Lily sat still, waiting.

"I always thought it would be so easy. I thought I would arrest him, and it would be a victory. But I didn't—and that kid, and that wife, and…" He looked up at her, expectant.

"Yeah." She took a deep breath.

"_If_ there even is a wife and a kid. But if there is, I don't want that kid to grow up like I did. But I want to put him away _so bad._"

"I know, my love. I know."

"What do I do?" he asked.

Lily shrugged. "I can't tell you. This is your decision."

Aubrey shook his head. "No. We make decisions together."

"I'm just saying, this is _your _dad. You have to do what you think is right. What you can live with. This is about _you, _what he did to you."

She wanted nothing more than to be able to give him an answer, to fix it. Instead, she reached over and ran her fingers through his hair, trying to soothe him at least some.

She jumped a little, and Aubrey looked up at her.

"What?"

"I—"

She reached for his hand, hoping desperately, and pressed it gently against her stomach.

_Come on, baby boy_, _do it again_, she willed.

She felt Aubrey's hand relax against hers in disappointment as nothing happened.

"Talk to him," she suggested.

"You don't have to try to make me feel better," Aubrey said. "It's okay, Lil."

"No! His moving has been feeling stronger, I thought that maybe—he just kicked and it was pretty hard, I promise!"

"Hey, shhh, it's okay."

She shook her head, not letting him take his hand away. "Please."

Aubrey leaned closer to her. "Hey, sweet boy. It's Daddy. Mama said you're moving around a lot in there, but you need to go to sleep so she can go to sleep. And I need to stop keeping her up."

"Push," Lily said, pressing against the back of his hand. "Like this."

"Lil." Giving in, he pushed the heel of his hand gently against her, and then gasped as he felt a response from inside. "Oh my god."

"You felt it?"

"Yeah, yeah I did," Aubrey said, voice thick.

Lily wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close, awash with sadness at Aubrey's pain and rage at Phillip Aubrey and hope that the baby boy kicking inside of her meant that everything was going to be okay.

* * *

"I need you to give me like, ten seconds to sound really lame," Lily said in the car on the way to Bryan Achievement Academy.

"About?"  
"Oh my god I _love _getting to go with you to question people and check out crime scenes, and like, anything outside of the lab."

"You love the lab."

"I do! I do. But this is so _exciting. _And it makes me feel like a real part of the team, and not just Angela's intern."

"You _are_ a part of the team," he said, eyebrows furrowed.

"I know, but like, a real FBI agent or something."

He chuckled, and she swatted his shoulder.

"I told you to let me be lame!"

"You didn't tell me I couldn't laugh."

"Fair."

"Well, _I _love getting to work with you."

"Me too! We make such a great team, don't you think?"

"Uh, yeah. That's why I'm marrying _and _having a baby with you."

"Teammates for life."

He laughed again. "Teammates for life." He parked the car, then turned back to her. "Ready?"

"Oh, so ready."

They walked in, and were directed to find who they were looking for in the stairwell.

"Ms. Bryan," Aubrey greeted, "I'm Special Agent Aubrey, this is my…" he searched for the right word, "colleague, Lily Booth. You want to come on down?"

"This again," Ms. Bryan said. "Look, as I told your colleagues, we all want to help, but this is disrupting my students' learning environment."

"Don't you mean disrupting the tutors you have taking the students' classes for them?" Lily asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, sure," Lily nodded.

"And I told your people already, we didn't see Austin the day he died. So, I'm sorry, there's nothing more I can do for you." She walked between the two of them.

"Oh," Aubrey said suddenly. "Look at that." He knelt down, and Lily followed his gaze to the stairs.

"That's dried blood!"

"Don't sound so excited," Aubrey said under his breath.

She tried to kneel down next to him, then stopped short, hand on her stomach. "Can't do that."

"Austin was injured by an object made of steel with traces of leather," Aubrey continued, hiding a smile.

Lily nodded proudly. "So, kind of like these stairs, with shoe leather on them."

"He fell down the stairs," Aubrey said, standing. He turned to Ms. Bryan. "We're going to have to ask you to come with us. This learning environment you got here is now a crime scene."

They escorted Ms. Bryan out, and Lily gently prodded Aubrey with her elbow.

"Also," she whispered, "watching you work is _very _hot."

* * *

"Aubrey, didn't they tell you there's cake in the break room?" Booth asked, walking into his office. "Look at that, huh?"

Aubrey shook his head. "Nah, I'm okay."

Booth dropped the plate. "Okay, that's it. What the hell's wrong with you? Come on."

Aubrey let out a breath. "All right, look, I don't want this to interfere with work, but you know that my dad is back in the country."

"Yeah, I know, we got people out there looking for him."

"Yeah, no, I know." Aubrey looked down. "It's just, uh, it's on my mind, that's all." He gestured toward the pile of folders next to him. "Anyway, this is, uh, every case file for crimes committed in the past year involving a sawed-off shotgun. There is a lot of them."

"You can throw out any of the gun-holders that were arrested, right?"

"You can't kill someone if you're already in prison."

"That's for sure." Booth picked up a file. "Oh. Wow. Thick, eh?" He opened the file. "You know, my old man, he was a piece of work."

"Yeah, he drank, right?" Aubrey asked.

"Yeah. He drank, and he beat the crap out of me and my brother, till Pops took us in."

"I guess neither one of us drew very well in the fatherhood lottery," Aubrey sighed.

"Well, you know, with my dad, he died a while back. I never got a chance to really confront him. Tell him how I really feel, you know, man-to-man."

"Yeah," Aubrey nodded. "Did you ever worry with your kids that you, I don't know, since you didn't have a dad—"

"Did I worry that I wouldn't be a good one? Oh yeah. All the time."

Aubrey nodded. "You're a really good dad, though. I mean, Lily is—Lily is _amazing_, and she loves you so much."

"I always knew I was going to be so much better than my dad, because I knew what I wasn't going to be. And you're going to be a good dad, too, because you know."

"I already love my son _so much_, and I can't imagine—"

"I know, Aubrey."

"Look, Booth, let's just say that I know where my dad—"

Booth held up a hand. "Stop talking. All I'm saying is, when we do bring your father in, maybe you'll get a chance for some closure."

Aubrey nodded.

"And, Aubrey? I'm very proud to have you as a son-in-law, and as the father of my grandson, okay?"

* * *

"It's going to be okay," Lily said soothingly. "It's going to be okay."

"Are you reassuring me, or yourself?" Aubrey asked.

"You," she said, rubbing his back. "And reassuring myself that you're going to be okay." She swallowed hard. "That _we're _going to be okay."

"Hey." Aubrey brushed her hair from her face. "We are _always _going to be okay, my love."

* * *

Lily sat nervously with Aubrey at a table in the diner, neither of them speaking, staring at a quickly cooling cup of coffee.

When Philip Aubrey walked in the door, Lily laid her hand on Aubrey's thigh under the table.

"Hey," Aubrey greeted his father. "I figured if we waited here long enough, you'd show up."

"It's safe for us?" Philip asked, and Aubrey nodded. "Does this mean you've thought about things? That, uh, you're gonna help me?"

Aubrey shook his head. "Not you. This kid. I thought about how I grew up, seeing your face on the news, seeing Mom cry. I wouldn't wish that childhood on anyone. Especially not as a father."

"You know, I never would have left if I didn't think you could handle it. That you'd turn out to be such a good man."

"He's a _wonderful _man," Lily interrupted sternly. Aubrey wrapped his fingers around her wrist.

Philip gave a small smile. "And I was right. I'm proud of you, James. You're one of the only good things I've ever done in my life."

Aubrey shrugged. "You know, a friend of mine says that people can change. Maybe he's right."

Philip looked hopeful.

"But I'm just not ready to believe in you."

Aubrey nodded toward the window, and Booth led a group of agents inside.

"Philip Aubrey, you're under arrest."

"This was a mistake, James," Philip scolded as he was handcuffed.

Aubrey stood, putting up a hand to stall the agent leading his father away. "Oh, and one more thing. Don't ever take credit for how I turned out, okay? Any good in me was _despite _having you as a father."

Lily stood up next to Aubrey, rubbing his back as Philip was led away. "I'm so proud of you, baby."

When the doors closed and Philip was officially gone, they sat back down, Booth taking the seat across from Aubrey.

"I know this was hard, but you did the right thing."

"Did I?"

"I put a call over to my friend at the State Department," Booth explained. "He just got back to me. They don't know who this kid is. That's not your dad's son."

Aubrey and Lily sighed in visible relief.

"Can I get my friend a burger over here, please?" Booth called to a waitress.

Aubrey laughed. "Come on. I'm good. Really."

Booth turned back toward the waitress. "Double cheese."

"Okay," Aubrey acquiesced. "Maybe a shake."

"Three milkshakes."

"Chocolate," Lily specified.

* * *

"It's _over_," Aubrey breathed, laying his head on Lily's shoulder. "After all these years—it's actually over."

Lily wrapped an arm around him, reaching up to run her fingers through his hair and down the back of his neck. She put a hand on the inside of his thigh, pulling gently so that he put his legs across her lap.

Aubrey put a hand on the curve of her stomach, smiling when he felt a gentle kick underneath his palm. Lily put her hand over his, squeezing when she felt him sniff, turning to bury his face in her neck.

"It's okay," she said softly, kissing the top of his head.

"I know it is. I just—he told me he was proud of me. He never said that, before. I was just thinking, I'm not going to let thirty years go by before I tell this little boy that I'm proud of him."

"Who gives a _shit_ what that man says, or thinks, or—" she stopped herself. "I'm sorry. I know that he's still—he's still your father, and that still matters anyway. I'm just saying that he _sucks_."

Aubrey chuckled. "Yeah, he does. But…" he trailed off.

"What?"

"I love our little boy _so much_ already, and we still have months until we meet him. I can't imagine leaving him, or not telling him that I love him, and I just—why couldn't he—why didn't he—"

"_Don't _go down that rabbit hole," Lily interrupted. "Trust me. Do not. Everything he did is on _him_. Not on you. Not even a little bit." She kissed his forehead. "_You _are the most lovable, wonderful, deserving person I have ever known. You are a _hell_ of a man, and that's that."

He smiled. "Thanks, Lil."

He swung his legs off of her lap, leaning up against the back of the couch with a sigh.

"I have to go call my mom," he said. "I have to tell her that I—that he's—"

"Yeah." She patted his knee.

"I can't even imagine how this is going to make her feel."

"A lot like you, I would guess. Relieved and hurt and sad."

"Yeah." He took a deep breath. "Okay."

* * *

**A/N: Sweet, sweet Aubrey just needs lots of extra hugs and reassurance. I also added a scene to the end of chapter 3—I am planning on writing Aubrey's birthday in a later chapter, and then realized that I completely skipped Lily's. I'm not sure if anyone is actually reading this story—but if you are, I really appreciate you!**


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